On Thursday’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy (titled “Shiny Happy People”), a teenage patient called Hayley is thought to have schizophrenia after trying to claw her own eyes out. Not unlike a House episode we recently covered, the diagnosis turns out wrong and instead she is found to have a condition called superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

One way is doing a CT scan of the temporal bone, which will show its thinning (or dehiscence).

There are other ways. Among them is the method shown in the Grey’s Anatomy episode, called a videonystagmography (VNG). In this method, hi-tech video goggles with infrared cameras are worn while doing things that can provoke rapid eye movements in the condition.

How is it treated?

The condition can be treated by a surgery, which repairs the gap in the temporal bone. Another surgical method is plugging the superior canal.

What happens after treatment?

The success rate of the operation is quite high. Most patients don’t have their old symptoms after the operation.